When Book Clubs Collide
by Turkey and Swiss Sandwich
Summary: What happens when the girls of MDBC end up going down to Camden Falls for a little field trip? They get to meet the Main Street girls! But will they become great friends, or hate each other? Watch the girls find friendship, fun, and maybe love? Rated T
1. Emma's Slight Weekend Problem

**Hey! Tori here, and I'm just here to say that this is technically a crossover, but I couldn't find a category for the other book(which is Main Street by Ann M. Martin). Youc an search it up but you're probably not gonna find a lot of good results. The characters for Main Street are Flora, Ruby, Olivia, and Nikki, so now you won't be confused haha. Anyways I do not own The Mother Daughter Book Club or Main Street, obviously. On with the story!**

Emma

It was an average Wednesday morning. It was absolutely freezing outside since it was another abnormally cold winter in Concord, Massachusetts. I ran a hand through my extremely curly hair with a sigh. Why must it be so uncontrollable in the mornings? I walked over to the bay window in the corner of my room and opened the curtains. Before me, I saw the street covered in a blanket of white, untouched snow. I gasped and cheered.

"Yes!" I yelled and ran down the stairs where my mom was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"What are you doing up so early Emma? It's a snow day today." She said with a plate of stacked pancakes in her hand. She was wearing her blue fuzzy robe that always looks so warm. I began to shiver in my over-sized t-shirt I won from a library contest and pajama bottoms.

"I didn't know. There is so much snow outside! Today is going to be so fun! I have to go and call Jess!" I said as I made my way to the phone in the living room. Even though I'm almost 13, my mom still won't let me have my own cell phone, which is a huge bummer.

"Wait, before you call Jess, I have to tell you something!" mom called to me from the kitchen. I saw her put down the plates through the door, and she rushed over to me without knocking into any of the numerous bookshelves around my house. My entire family is book crazy. There are books in every room in the house, even the bathroom! My parents love Jane Austen and even named me and my brother Darcy after characters from her books!

I put down the phone and faced her. "Yes?" I said, curious as to what she was to tell me.

"Over the weekend, we're going to visit my good friend's house over in Camden Falls! There's a reading convention there, and I just couldn't let my wonderful Mother-Daughter book club miss it, could I?" she said excitedly. Normally, I would be beyond excited, ecstatic even. But not today.

"Mom, Jess, Cassidy, Megan, and I were supposed to go to the big Concord Comets celebration party this weekend! We can't go to Camden Falls!" I yelled. This was the first time I ever really yelled at my mom, and I felt guilty for it. But this was also the first time I've been invited to a party as exclusive as the Concord Comets(which is Concord's winning little league hockey team) celebration party! I couldn't just miss it because of some silly little reading convention!

"Well, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to miss it young lady. If anything, you should be happy about this! You love reading and this is the perfect place to show it! And I'm doing you a favor of inviting your friends too." She said sternly. She rarely gets upset, so I knew I had ticked her off a little. But then I realized, everyone else is coming too? They'll just blame me for taking them away from the party!

"No mom, that wouldn't be necessary. The rest of the book club doesn't need to come—"

"It's already decided. The other moms and I already discussed it during yoga. They're all coming to Camden Falls, where we'll stay with my friend Min Reed." She said as my heart fell in my stomach. Great, guess who everyone will be mad at on Friday when they get the news.


	2. Flora's Impatience

Flora

I watched as Ruby continuously opened and closed the front door. The sound of the slam was getting annoying, and so was the draft of freezing cold air. I put down my book and yelled at her.

"Ruby Ann Northrop, stop opening and closing that door this instant! If Min were here, you'd be in major trouble!" I yelled to her. She closed the door for the last time and sighed.

"I'm mad because the snow is still outside! The stupid weather man said that it would be 60 degrees today! I really wanted to go to school! Today after school we were supposed to have auditions for the musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and I was trying out for Sally! I was ready with my audition song and everything! Why did it have to snow?" Ruby asked with her head down. She's obsessed with plays and musicals. Not me. I'd die of embarrassment if I had to go up on stage in front of everyone. I'm naturally shy that way. I'd much rather read a good book or sew a scarf with Min, our grandmother. Ruby and I are exact opposites. She's always been the outgoing one in the family, while I hide in the shadows. Sometimes, I think it should be the other way around, since I'm 2 years older than her in the first place.

"And you really think that opening and closing the door like a maniac would make the snow magically disappear?" I said while flashing my hands at the word "disappear".

"Yes." Said Ruby as she plopped down next to me on the couch. Sometimes Ruby can be a little too naïve.

I checked my watch and it read 9:23. Min said she would be back by 11:00. I couldn't wait that long. She said she was going to take Ruby, Olivia, and I over to Nikki's house. She also said that she had "big news" to tell us. Every time Min says that she's got "big news" it never disappoints, so I'm excited. Out of my impatience, I pick up the phone on the coffee table in front of me, and call one of my best friends, Olivia Walter, who lived next door to me in one of the Row Houses. The Row Houses were the set of attached houses that were over a hundred years old. We've had the honor to live in one of them, thanks to Min. My mom used to live here when she was my age. That was until, she and my dad died in a car accident on an icy December night a couple of years ago. Ruby and I were okay, but not when we realized what had happened to our parents.

"Hello?" a groggy sounding Olivia uttered through the phone.

"Hey Olivia! Why do you sound so awful?" I asked out of concern.

"Long day yesterday. Remember, that hovercraft experiment we get to do in science?" she asked

"Yeah…" I said, thinking of my hovercraft group, which were Andrew Harrison and Sarah Miller.

"Yeah, well my group is Melody Becker and Tanya Rhodes!" she yelled into the phone. Oops, that's not good.

"Tanya and Melody? Wow Olivia, you should switch groups. You'll get murdered!"

"Thanks, but I already asked Mr. Stevens. He said you can't switch groups." She solemnly sighed. I understood completely. Tanya and Melody always teased Olivia because she was not only the youngest person in the entire school, but she was also one of the smartest, and the smallest. She had skipped a grade and she had a late birthday. She always tried to look older, but to no avail. Melody and Tanya were the meanest people in our grade, and never let go the fact that Olivia's a little different.

"Look, um just try to ignore them when they call you names. I'm sure they won't, since teamwork is a part of your grade." I reassured her and then she continued to vent.

"And after school, I had to work for 5 hours at Cinnamon (*I forgot the name of the place ha-ha sorry*)! 5 whole hours! The longest I work there is 3! And then, I had to watch Jack and Henry. As usual, that was awful." Olivia complained. I began to fumble around with a decorative rock on Min's coffee table. I love Olivia like a sister, but sometimes, her conversations can get a little boring.

"…right Flora?" apparently, Olivia had said something, and I had dazed off, oops. I contemplated what to say until Ruby yelled something.

"OH NO! It's snowing even more outside! I'll never have school!" she yelled dramatically. She then collapsed on the floor with a hand on her forehead.

"Uh, Olivia, Ruby's having another drama attack. I'll call you back okay?" I said, glad for an excuse to get off the phone.

"Okay, talk to you soon!" she said and then hung up. I ran over to Ruby after putting down the phone and told her to get up.

"You'll have school eventually, and then you can have your little play audition. Until then, you should go uh practice." I said. At that, she got up and went upstairs to her room. I sighed and shook my head. I got back to my book instead of calling back Olivia. It's not that I didn't want to talk to her, but I was at a really interesting part in the book. I was reading _Jolted_, a book about a boy who's family is cursed with lightning. Everyone in his family has died of getting struck by lightning but him, and now he's out in the wilderness all by himself. Well, he also has a pet pig, but still somewhat by himself.

What seemed to be an hour had passed, so I put down the book and checked my watch. It was actually 10:46. Good, I can take up the rest of the time by talking to Olivia. I picked up the phone and dialed her number. She picked up on the 3rd ring, like she always did.

"Hey, what happened to you? Ruby didn't go berserk, did she?' she asked referring to the time where Ruby had sprained her ankle and overreacted a bit only because she couldn't perform in a play.

"No, but it took a lot of coaxing. And I kinda got caught up reading a book." I said, I couldn't really lie, no matter what.

"Oh, okay. Hey, didn't you say that Min was taking us to Nikki's house?" she asked. I replied with a yes and we continued to talk for a few more minutes until I heard the door unlock and open.

"Ooh, Min's here. Are you ready?"

"Yep, I just have to calm down Jack and Henry; of course they're fighting again. See you in a few!" she said

"Bye!" I said and then hung up. I ran over to Min as Ruby came charging down the stairs. She was already in her coat, snow boots, and gloves.

"Min! Are we ready to go and hear the big, big news?" she asked excitedly. I rolled my eyes and waited for Min's reply.

"Yes, but I need to rest for a minute. You can wait outside if you like. But Ruby, I would recommend that you put on a hat and scarf first." She said and Ruby huffed and walked back upstairs. I followed and got my winter gear. We came back down to the sight of Min on the phone.

"I bet she's talking to Mr. Pennington!" whispered Ruby in an immature tone. We recently found out that Min was dating Mr. Pennington, another one of our neighbors, and Min's long time friend. Well, used to be friend. Now he's her boyfriend. It's kind of strange referring to an old man as someone's boyfriend.

She got off the phone only to turn around and see us on the staircase watching. "Spying on me again, huh? No I was not talking to Mr. Pennington." She said as if reading our minds.

"Uh, then who were you talking to?" asked Ruby. She is so nosy!

Min laughed. "You'll find out soon." She said mysteriously. She then opened the door, letting in the frigid air, and we walked down the stairs. We went to Olivia's house, which was right next door. I rang the door bell, but Ruby knocked the door 3 times until Mr. Walter came out.

"Ruby, I guessed it was you knocking. Olivia, your friends are here!" he called. I could hear Olivia's small footsteps coming down the stairs and then she came up to the door.

"Thanks Dad. Bye everybody!" she called and we all said goodbye. We went inside of Min's car and went down the path in the street that was clear of snow. We eventually reached Nikki's house which was on the outskirts of town. Min turned off the car and we all hopped out.

"Be good you three." She said as she started to go back into the car.

"Wait! You said you had big news! What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot. We should wait for Nikki to come out." She said as she motioned to the house where we saw Nikki and her little sister Mae peaking out of the bedroom window. We laughed as they soon darted down. We looked at the ramshackle of a house surrounded by stray cats and dogs and dry, snow covered grass. Nikki, clad in a large winter coat with a few rips in it and faded jeans ran out of the door and towards us.

"Hey guys! Hello Min." she said as she yanked at something in her blonde, short hair.

"Ew, what's that?" Ruby asked in disgust.

"It's a noodle. Mae must've put in my hair. I'm gonna get you Mae!" she yelled back at the house. Nikki's 8 year-old sister, who was watching us through the screen door, stuck her tongue out at us and we laughed. We then turned our attention back to Min.

"Well, I have big news like was stated earlier." Said Min, referring to Ruby's outburst.

"Yeah, yeah?" Ruby begged impatiently. I nudged her. "Ouch!"

"Well, my good friend and 'student' of sorts is coming to Camden Falls over the weekend with her friends and family for the annual Camden Falls Reading Festival!" she said to us. We all 'ooed" at this, except for Ruby.

"That's it?" she asked with genuine confusion.

"Yes, she's bringing her Mother-Daughter Book Club. You guys have a book club, don't you?" she asked

"Yes..." we replied.

"Well, the girls just so happen to be around your age! They could make the perfect pen pals!" she said in excitement.

"That's cool and all, but Camden Falls doesn't have an annual Reading Festival." Olivia pointed out.

"It does now! Gigi and I overheard some people talking about it." She said. There goes Min Reed, and Gigi Walter. The town gossips.

We all "ooed" again, even Ruby, although she hates reading.

"So, we not only get new friends, but an awesome reading festival? This is going to be awesome!" I said and everyone agreed. We all said goodbye to Min and went inside of Nikki's house.


	3. Megan's Book Club Plan

Megan

"What do you mean by 'You can't go to the party'? We've had this planned for a week and a half now, and you're saying I can't go?" I asked my mom angrily. Why can't I go? The Concord Comets Celebration Party is the most exclusive party of the year for people around my age! Only the coolest kids or the friends of the players get to go. Although sometimes, they're the same people. And so do the players themselves of course. Luckily, one of my best friends and the star of the hockey team, Cassidy Sloane had invited me and my other best friends, Jess Delaney and Emma Hawthorne. If it wasn't for her, I'm pretty sure we'd be the last people to be invited, if invited at all.

"You just can't go Megan. I'm sorry, we have plans over the weekend and your little party would just collide with it." My mom, the "famous" environmentalist, Lily Wong said. She wiped a speck of dirt off of the chrome, tree-shape bookcase, and started to walk back into the living room.

"But Mom, I have to go! It's the biggest party of the year and everyone's going to be there!" I said looking helpless in the doorway of the living room.

"Look sweetie, there will be other parties, but not this one, okay?" she said to me as she set down a plate of her famous homemade broccoli bars. My mom, being an environmentalist and a vegetarian always made 100 percent organic snacks like that. She loved them, but we always hated them. But it would be awful to tell her that to her face, so we just keep quiet.

"But mom, can't you at least tell me why? This is extremely important and—"

"It's already decided Megan. And if you want to know why so badly, then just wait until Friday at our next Mother Daughter Book Club meeting!" she said as she stuffed one of the broccoli bars in her mouth.

"So, this is a book club thing. Of course! Why do you moms always want to ruin our fun?" I asked with fury boiling in my eyes. I should have known that the book club was the reason for this.

"Look, it'll be a fun, I promise. You might not even care that you missed the party!" she said, obviously dodging the question.

"Whatever." I muttered, but then I remembered something. "What about Cassidy? You said it was a book club thing right? Does that mean Cassidy can't go to her own party?" I asked, thinking of someone other than myself for once. Cassidy was the lead player for the Concord Comets, how could they possibly force her to miss the celebration?

"Sweetie, don't worry about that. She'll be able to go. Well, somewhat go. She'll be at the party while we're in—oops! I almost gave away the surprise! She'll make it to the party honey. It's just…hmmm. Why didn't I think of this before! You may not miss the party after all! I have to call Phoebe!" she said referring to Emma's mom, Mrs. Hawthorne. I rolled my eyes as my mom shooed me away with her hands as she dialed the number.

I walked up the steps, but glared at my mom the whole way. As I entered my room, I decided to call Emma and tell her about the mutiny of it all. Then, I remembered that Emma's mom wouldn't let her have a cell phone, so she would have to use the home phone, which at the moment my mom is talking with Mrs. Hawthorne on. I decided to call Jess instead.

"Uh, hello?" said Jess. She sounded busy as usual. She's always busy when working at Halfmoon Farm, which just so happens to be her house. Sometimes, it was hard for me to refrain from calling her "Goat Girl" like I did when I was friends with Becca Chadwick, and the rest of the ultra mean Fab Four. But then I realized how much of a jerk I was being, and decided to break off from them. Now it's more like the Fab Three.

"Hey, it's me, Megan. Did your mom tell you that we won't be able to the Concord Comets Celebration party this weekend?" I asked as I lay down on my canopy bed,

"No. Wait, we're not going to the party? Why?" she asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation.

'I don't know. Apparently, it's some sort of Mother Daughter Book Club thing. It probably has to do with the next book we're reading." I said while twirling my straight black Asian hair.

"That's dumb. Wait, what about Cassidy? The party's practically for her, Isn't she going?" Jess asked with concern in her voice.

"Well yes and no. At least that's what my mom said. She wasn't very clear. Actually she wasn't clear about anything at all. Apparently, it's a big book club 'surprise' that the moms are in on." I said as I rolled my eyes at the thought of what the moms thought was a surprise.

"That's ridiculous. Well, I have to go now. Elvis somehow got out of the hen house and got inside. Now I have to go catch him! Bye Megan!" she yelled and then hung up. Poor Jess, and her many singer-themed animals.

I put the phone down on my bed side table, and snuck out to the staircase to sneak a peek as to what my mom was doing. She wasn't on the phone with Mrs. Hawthorne anymore. Instead she was on the couch watching a rerun of "Cooking with Clementine" and eating another broccoli bar. Gross.

"Cooking with Clementine" was a cooking show starring Cassidy's mom, Clementine Sloane. She's an ex-model who's super famous in the world of fashion. I am too, thanks to her. Every now and then, I make designs for the teen fashion magazine, _Flashlite_. It gets stressful sometimes, but it's incredibly fun.

Now that the phone lines were clear, I went back into my room and closed the door. I called Emma's house, but she didn't pick up. Then, I called Cassidy's house, but instead, her big sister Courtney answered only to say that she was at hockey practice. Of course. I finally called Jess, expecting her to be done catching chickens, but she didn't pick up either. Fine then, I'm going to have to plot this myself.


	4. Olivia's Crush

Olivia

I sat there. I sat there for a long time. It seemed to take forever. I started to play with the stick on butterfly decorations that clung to the walls of my room. I paced and paced on the pink carpet. I even started to do homework! I finally heard it. The ring, it was coming from downstairs. The much awaited ring. I darted up, and zoomed downstairs. I saw my little bother of a brother, Jack near the phone. I charged at him, but not before he picked up the phone and yelled "Olivia loves you!"

I tackled him and pinned his arms to the ground. "You little worm! I told you that I was getting a phone call!" from all of the roughhousing, the phone fell of the table, and onto the floor. We had a battle for it, which I won. I ran up to my room and locked the door. I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hello? Jacob?" it had to be Jacob, it had to be. If it wasn't, than I had just wasted a whole day waiting for nothing.

"Olivia? Hey." Jacob said. Thank goodness, at least Jack hadn't scared him off.

"It's you. Hi." I said nervously. I always get little butterflies in my stomach when talking to Jacob. He was the only boy who really understood me.

"What was all of that about back there?' he asked. I fumbled over what to say. Great, my brother spilled the beans. I've had a crush on Jacob since the day I met him during a school book club meeting.

"Uh, nothing. My brother was yelling random things for some odd reason. You know brothers he-he." I said, trying to sound as cool as possible. I know it probably didn't work.

He laughed. "I got what you're saying. So uh, can you help me with my History homework? It's the only thing I can't figure out." He asked. I always "helped" him on his history. It really was the only subject he wasn't good at. He was just as smart as me. But people didn't tease him like they teased me. He had girls crawling all over him. Especially Tanya and Melody, my enemies. People thought I was weird because I was small and the youngest one in the entire school. I also liked to talk about books and science, while most girls my age liked to talk about makeup, clothes, and boys. While other girls were able to shop in the teen's section in department stores, I still had to shop in children's since I was really petite and very slowly developing. Jacob didn't mind fortunately. He liked me for the way I was, like my other friends. But, I'm starting to see Jacob as more than a friend.

We continued to talk about "history" which was really talking about the new study about the 2012 apocalypse.

"It's baloney. Really spoiled baloney."Jacob said which made me laugh but give a quick retort.

"It may be baloney, but it's not spoiled. It's baloney with a pretty good taste to it." I said and we both laughed. We continued the baloney-related conversation for about 10 more minutes, until my mom yelled at me for being on the phone so long.

"You can talk to Jacob tomorrow, Olivia! It's time for bed!" my mom yelled up. I naturally got embarrassed over the fact that now Jacob knew that I had an early bedtime still. Most girls my age didn't even have bedtimes anymore!

"Uh, I have to go now. Bye Jacob. Talk to you later?" I asked hoping the answer would be a definite yes.

"Sure, after school, okay?' he said and inside I swear my heart burst for joy.

"Okay bye." I said, and he said bye back. I went back downstairs and put the phone back. Only to see Jack and Henry on the couch.

"Did you have fun talking to your _boyfriend_?" Henry asked. I stuck my tongue out at them and floated upstairs. I was practically on Cloud Nine. Ha. Melody and Tanya may think I'm a loser, but they never will be able to talk to Jacob like I do. And that's a guarantee.


	5. Jess's Party Anixeity

Jess

"I just don't understand." I explained to my best friend since kindergarten, Emma Hawthorne. We were sitting in the hay loft at Half Moon Farm, which is pretty much my house. "I just don't understand" was something I rarely said, on account of me being one of the smartest people in school. I usually tend not to tell people this, since they always end up teasing me in the end. The only people who don't make fun of me for it is Emma, Cassidy, and Wendell(aka the only other extremely smart person in my school).Sometimes, I'm not so sure about Megan. She still sometimes rolls her eyes anytime I get a good grade. She's still learning I guess.

"What's not to understand? You just go up and talk to him. It's just Darcy." Emma told me while giggling. We were talking about something we usually didn't talk about: Boys. Well more like boys, clothes, and parties. We didn't talk about these things too much because we weren't your average 7th graders. Emma would much rather talk about books, writing, and poetry, while I'd rather talk about science, farming, and animals. At the moment, we were specifically talking about Darcy Hawthorne, Emma's 15 year old brother. Emma knows that I've liked him since 4th or 5th grade, and she always downplays him when I'm around. "It's just Darcy"? Yeah right! To me, Darcy was probably one of the most amazing boys I've ever met. Not that I'd ever tell him. He sees me as a little sister, not anything more.

"Yeah, but what if he laughs in my face? Then what?" I asked with fear in my voice. Emma had told me that somehow the moms were going to get us to that Concord Comets Celebration, even though they had said that their special book club "surprise" would just conflict with it. Unlike everyone else, I was actually excited about the surprise. Emma said she knew what it was, but she couldn't tell me. She's actually very upset about almost missing the party, which is surprising since usually, she loves book club surprises. Although I must admit, the only real reason I'm more excited about the surprise, is because I'm too nervous about going to the party and seeing Darcy there. Let alone, asking him to dance with me. He plays for the team, along with one of my other best friends, Cassidy. She's the star player, and also the only girl on the team. She's a real tomboy, which usually gets her a good spot with the guys. Sometimes, I'll admit I get jealous of how easy it is for her to talk to them. I'd fumble my words immediately if I were to somehow get into a conversation with them.

"You and I both know that Darcy would never do that. The worst thing he could do is say no." she assured me as she played with a piece of hay that had somehow made its way into her hair.

I sighed and nodded my head. She did have a point. Now we just had to cover one more thing. "So, what are you wearing to the celebration? The flyer said semi-formal, whatever that means." I said while looking down at my very plain looking blue long sleeved shirt and grey sweatpants. Living on the farm didn't really allow you to get worked up over how to dress. Because of this, the only way I can get any real fashion advice is from Megan. She's obsessed with clothes. I can also get some advice from my mom, the infamous Shannon Delaney, the lead actress on the soap opera _HeartBeats_. Before, she was never around, since she was off in New York filming. But last summer, she came back, and for good this time!

"Hmm, I don't really know. All I know is that Megan's going to look great in her dark green French chemise and black leggings. She said it was one of her favorite designs that she had made for _Flashlite_. She's even wearing boots! You know the heeled kind?" Emma said in a worried voice. She really wanted to look good at the party, but I'm sure she was afraid that she wouldn't measure up to Megan's fashionista expertise.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find something. My mom said that you would look great in something purple. Maybe your purple turtleneck and a flowing black skirt?" I said out of nowhere quoting my mom.

Emma put her finger to her chin, as if pondering the idea. "Yeah, but I've worn that turtleneck tons of times. I need something new and flashy!" Emma said as she stood up. She started to mimic a fashion model by walking with a straight face and a hand on her hip around the bails of hay. "Like a runway model! Do you really think that a model would wear some plain old purple turtleneck while posing for something like _Vogue_? I don't think so." She said with a nervous look on her face. She's been listening to Megan's ramblings too much.

"Okay, I get it. But you should at least give it a try. How about we go over to your house and invite Megan and Cassidy over? Then we can decide what to wear!" I said excitedly. I've never acted this girly, ever. The things boys and parties turn you to.

"That's not a bad idea. Let's go to my house!" Emma said as she picked up her backpack off the floor of the hay loft. I got up too, and we both climbed down the latter. But guess who was at the bottom, spying on us?

"Ahh! Dylan and Ryan? What are you two doing here? Have you guys been spying on me again?" I asked my annoying little twin brothers. I like to call them "Double Trouble" since that's exactly what they are.

"Maybe…" said Ryan as he started walking around like a model. He was obviously making fun of Emma. I saw her grow red with embarrassment and anger. Ugh.

"Yeah. I'm not too sure either Ryan. Maybe we should go ask Darcy! He'll know what to do since Jess loves him soo much!" Dylan said while swooning and pretending to faint. I glared at him and pushed him into a pile of hay.

"Look you two, if you spy on us again, I'll not only tell mom, but I'll give you two extreme wedgies! You got that?" I said while looking at them with seething anger. They always do this!

"Okay, but I'm telling mom you pushed me!" said Dylan as he, followed by Ryan ran out of the small barn and to the house. Oh boy.

I looked at Emma. "Sorry about that. You know how they are." I said and she nodded in understanding. She then began to laugh.

"We'll get them back. I'm sure of it." She said as she grabbed my hand and we ran down the street. We eventually reached Emma's house, where she said "Hi" to her mom and go on the phone. She called Megan and Cassidy, who both said they'd be here soon. Emma had told them to bring their best three outfits with them so they could rule out which ones they could wear to the party. She had hung up with an elated sigh.

"This is going to be so fun! If I can't find something nice to wear in my closet, then Megan is bound to bring something that's absolutely perfect!" she said before she plopped into the couch. I did the same and we waited for Megan and Cassidy to arrive. About 15 minutes later, they had both come and were ready to show their outfits. We went upstairs into Emma's light blue room that was packed with books. We all say down in a circle on her carpeted floor.

"Okay, so I brought my green chemise or really mini dress, my blue and black striped polo and black jean skirt, and my teal halter top with a white skirt. My favorite is the chemise." Megan said as she introduced us to her outfits. They all looked amazing, but we all ended up picking the chemise. It had ruffles going down the torso and flowed at the bottom. It looked like the perfect thing to wear. It was runway model material.

Next, Cassidy showed us her three outfits. Of course, they all screamed tomboy and weren't semi-formal at all. Although for her, it didn't matter. Since she's on the team, she'll be wearing her jersey over whatever outfit she's wearing anyway.

"So, I got a stupid yellow polka-dotted shirt and some black jeans, a dark blue v-neck with some black jeans, and a grey t-shirt with some black jeans. Pick one." She said grumpily. She obviously didn't like the whole clothing thing. If she could, she'd probably wear t-shirts and sweatpants for the rest of her life.

"The yellow would wash your face out, since you're already pretty pale. Hmm, the v-neck is kinda cute, but the grey t-shirt is a definite no. Couldn't you have found anything other than black jeans?" Megan asked while pondering over the outfits.

Cassidy shrugged. "All my other jeans either have rips in them or just look too casual. This is the best I could do. You might as well pick the blue shirt and get it over with." She said. We all followed her instructions and chose it. I was next. I already had my clothes over since I was going to Emma's house anyway.

"Well, um, I have this nice blue dress with these cute little butterflies at the bottom. I also have this off the shoulder red shirt, but it's awkward to wear. I have this black tube top with a white skirt, but it looks silly on me. I choose the blue dress." I said awkwardly. They all agreed with the dress and I sighed a breath of relief. Good, at least I have something to wear.

Finally, it was Emma's turn. But instead of having her outfits laid out, she hadn't chosen them yet. So, Megan decided to look through her closet for her.

"Ew. This is ugly. Why do you even have this again?" asked Megan as she scrutinized an oversized green and white flannel shirt in Emma's closet. She shrugged and Megan threw it on the floor. After going through many horrifying outfits, Megan had finally found the one.

"This would look perfect on you!" Megan said as she held a purple tunic with ruffles at the sleeves and at the bottom. It was really pretty, and it would look great on Emma. Megan tossed it to her and she tried it on. It did look perfect.

"All you need are some tights or something and a purple headband. You will look so cute!" squealed Megan. Okay, so now we all knew what we were going to wear to the celebration. Now all we need to think about is who our "dates" were going to be. You see, this was the _real _hard part.


	6. Nikki's DaytoDay Horror

Nikki

"_Nikki! Nikki! Go grab Mae and go! Just leave, I'll be okay!" _I heard my mom say in an urgent yet worried voice as I ran down the stairs of my house. It was on fire, by my dad's hand. He had come back. And even worse, he was more drunk than ever. He had started screaming at my mom and started to push her around. Mae began to cry and hid in the bathroom. I had to get away. I had to stop the fire. I had to help Mom.

"_Nikki! Just go and get Mae! Leave me here, alone!"_ Mom uttered while bleeding on the dusty ground. My eyesight became blurry, and I started to search for Mae. I found her in the downstairs bathroom, crying inside the bathtub. Her honey blonde hair was drenched and she had cuts and bruises all over her.

"_I tried to help Mommy. So, Daddy hit me."_ She said between gasps. Fury began to boil inside me and I ran back to the living room where the horror was taking place. As if hitting my mom wasn't bad enough, now he hits Mae? She's only 8!

I run over to where my "father" and Mom were. He was standing over her tauntingly with a bottle of beer in his hand. He started to pour gasoline all over her. He then lit a match. I looked into his eyes, they held anger, frustration, and snide. But most of all, smugness. He tossed the match and…

I woke up. This was probably the 6th dream I've had about my dad returning to Camden Falls, only to hurt mom and cause the whole family heartbreak. I sighed and got up out of bed slowly, still shaken from the realness of the dream. I looked over at Mae, who was still sleeping soundly in her pink bed which was next to mine. We still had to share a room even though Mom had a new, good paying job. We still have some financial issues, and I still have to wear ratty clothes, but at least we have dinner every night now. It was dawn by now, Friday morning. I looked out of my window to see that most of the snow had melted. That meant we would be going to school. Oh, just great.

It's not that I don't like school. I enjoy it a lot actually. But lately, the kids have been teasing me even more about my "economical situation". They think that my clothes are ugly, and even worse, they think I'm just some filthy poor person who has to fight in order to survive. I normally just shake it off, but sometimes their words really do get to me. But when they do, I just think of something that my big brother Tobias would say. He's off in college—the first person in our family. This was really big news. Apparently he's making all sorts of new friends. I wish I could be like that. I wish that instead of people teasing me and Mae everyday when we get on that morning bus, they would compliment me. Oh well, sometimes, we just have to deal with it.

Forty-five minutes later, Mae and I are ready for school, and walking down the dirt road to the bus stop. Mae was wearing a green long-sleeved striped shirt and sweatpants. Most people would say she was dressed like a boy. But that's really just how we Sherman girls have to dress. I was wearing a white turtle neck and brown sweatpants. I felt a little self-conscious wearing this, especially since the "Transitions" dance was next week, and no one had asked me yet. What the principal meant by "Transitions" was the transition from winter to spring. According to Flora, half of the gym is going to be winter themed, and the other half spring themed. It should look really pretty. But whether the gym is or not, who knows how I'm gonna look?

I sat down on the little bench next to the bus stop sign as Mae began skipping around while singing a song about bumblebees. I giggled at her innocence, and craved for it. She had not seen what I had seen the last time that our dad had visited. I thought back to the yelling and screaming, and eventually the smack sound of his hand crossing my mom's face. It had all been too much to handle. Just too much.

My thoughts were interrupted by the grunting sound of the bright yellow school bus pulling up in front of me. The bus driver opened the door with a smile on his face. He always thought of me as his favorite, since I wasn't rude or loud. I smiled back at him and grabbed Mae's arm. I could already hear the obnoxious remarks of my bus-mates.

"Ooh, look! Here come the Filthington sisters! Their here to contaminate us with their germs!" said one boy with a smirk on his face.

"Ha-ha! They smell like month old garbage! PU!" a girl with braids in her head said as she pinched her nose. I rolled my eyes and whispered to Mae to ignore them. She just looked at me with big, scared eyes. I wanted to cry as I looked back at her. Who was I kidding? How could I possibly ignore their comments towards us?

"That's it you kids! All of you, shut-up or I'll turn this bus around and refuse to take you to school ever again!" the bus driver shouted in his deep voice. Except this time, it wasn't happy and jolly. He sounded serious and just plain mad. I sat down, shocked at this outburst. Not too many people usually stand up for me like he did. Of course the entire bus was silent after that. I just sit still in my little corner as I watched Mae talk to her friend Amy in a different seat. I wish that Flora or Olivia could take the bus with me, but Camden Falls Central School is literally a block away from their houses. I took a pen out and began to write a thank you note for the bus driver.

Dear Bus Driver for Bus 231,

I really, really, REALLY, appreciated your courage and power when you actually stood up for me. My family's not doing too well financially, and sometimes, the mean comments make things even worse for my little sister, Mae and I. You've always been incredibly nice to me, and I just want to say, Thank-You.

Very Sincerely,

Nikki Sherman, the girl you helped.

I folded the paper and stuck it in my pocket. When we finally stopped in front of the school, I got up, said bye to Mae who would still be riding the bus to the Elementary school, and walked over to the bus driver.

"Here you go. Thanks." I said shyly as I handed him the paper. He opened it up and read it. He then smiled at me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Of course, anything to help somebody out. You know, I wasn't doing vey well either in the money department when I was your age. The kids were cruel. And if I learned anything, it's that you should just stay strong." He told me as I nodded my head vigorously. I turned my heel to walk away, until I heard the bus driver say, "By the way, my name's Adam."

I turned back around and looked him up and down. He didn't look much like an Adam. Then again, he was pretty young for a bus driver. He looked around 28 or something. He reminded me of Tobias a little. I smiled. "Thanks Adam." And I got off the bus.


	7. Cassidy's Party Planning

**A/N: Hey! I haven't done this in awhile! Sorry for the wait, I was having some serious writers block even though I knew what I was supposed to write! So, anyways, my fingers got tired from typing so the actual party won't be for another chapter. I'm sorry! It will be in Emma's POV(I know, this messes up the whole cycle!) and then the chapter after that will be in Ruby's(from Main Street). So anyway: I do not own the Mother-Daughter Book Club OR Main Street. It would be sick-awesome if I did, but I'd probably ruin them by accident. So, on to the story!**

Cassidy

"Look, Stan, I know you think you're great at Extreme Scrabble, but you aren't. I've beaten you eight times already. You should just give up while you have the chance." I said to Stan the Man, or Stanley Kincaid, my mom's _husband_. Yeah, I still call him by his first name. He's technically not my dad, and never will be. But at least thanks to my therapist dude, I don't hate him like I used to. My mom, the famous Clementine Sloane, is happy about that.

"Sure, I'll give up. When you make me!" he said as he slammed down a card with the letter U on it. Ugh, he had spelled "Truck" again. Before, I made the word Track, after he had spelled Trace. This game could take _forever_. I checked my watch for the twelfth time. It was only 5:23. The Concord Comets Celebration wouldn't start for another hour and a half. Kill. Me.

My friends and I had been waiting for this day to come for weeks. After almost getting the privilege to go to the party taken away from us, we were more apprehensive than anything. Especially Jess. I don't know why. It's just a party, right?

Stan had proceeded to spell the word Trick, which I turned into Crick, which he turned into Crack, which I turned into Clack, which he turned into Cluck, which I turned into Clock, which he turned into Click, which I turned into Clink, which he turned into Drink which I turned into Drank, which he turned into Drunk which was when I gave up and went up to my room to change.

I put on the dark blue V-neck that the girls and I had chosen a couple days ago and the black jeans. I fished around in my closet for my hockey jersey and pulled it on over the shirt. I checked my watch again, and it was 5:55. Why must time move so slow?

I spent the rest of the time jumping on the bed, listening to music, and just simply getting pumped for the party. This was going to be awesome, I could tell. I would not only be receiving my MVP award tonight, but I would also be able to hang out with my friends and hockey pals. But there was only one setback; the parents wanted to leave before 8:00.

They said it was for the big Mother-Daughter Book Club "surprise", or something. Whatever, as long as I'm able to get my award before we leave, I'll be okay. The party ends at 9:00 though, so I'm not too sure.

I eventually hear the doorbell ring and Stan opening the door to greet everyone. I slip on my navy blue Converse (they're my favorite pair of shoes), look in the mirror one last time(my red hair actually looked okay for once), and run downstairs. I saw Megan, Emma, and Jess standing there, looking great. I suddenly feel a serge of self-consciousness pull over me. I'm horribly dressed and I know it. _Oh well._ I think before I invite them in.

"This is going to be amazing!" Emma said excitedly, but her face unsure. Her smile faltered a bit as she fixed her hair, which was accessorized with a purple head band and a black floral pin. That's a little too girly for my tastes, but it looked good on her. She pushed her glasses up her nose and giggled as Jess tried to pull her dress over her knees.

"Stop laughing, this dress is too short!" Jess said as she awkwardly tried to cover herself with a jacket.

"For the billionth time Jess, it's not too short! It's the perfect size, and it's supposed to go right above your knee." Megan said while she shook her head. She looked absolutely perfect in her mini-dress or chemise or whatever you call it. She was wearing a black turtle-shaped broach, which made her look really—I don't know—mature maybe.

"Yeah, but what if boys laugh at me for it? I have so many scabs on my knees too, maybe I should just go back home and change into something more modest." She said nervously, almost turning around but Megan stopped her and sat her down on my couch.

"Jessica Delaney, you. Look. Great. Why don't you see that?" Megan said encouragingly. Jess smiled but still looked a bit nervous.

"There's nothing to worry about Jess. I bet the guys will just _love _your outfit. Especially one certain boy who's name starts with D and ends with Arcy!" Emma said mischievously. Wait, what? What does Darcy have to do with this?

"Emma!" Jess cried with a look of pure embarrassment on her face. It was all red and stuff. I just don't get it; does Jess like Darcy or something? I don't understand all this dumb crush stuff! I mean, I've never had one, so I guess I wouldn't know. Courtney says it's probably the best and worst feeling a girl can ever have. But I always ask how something can be good and bad at the same time? Then she always just says that I'll understand soon enough.

Sure, whatever.

"What? Isn't that why you're so nervous?" Emma asks as she sits down next to Jess, who looks like she wants to be anywhere but here. Jess just looks at Emma and lays her head on her shoulder. She's not crying or anything, but she looks really sad.

"What's wrong Jess?" Megan asks before Emma simply shoos her away with her hands and mouths the words: Boy Trouble. Megan grabs my hand and we rush away into my kitchen.

"What the heck is going on? Why is Jess going crazy?" I ask Megan like a maniac. Instead of answering though, she crouches down near the doorway, and appears to be listening to Emma and Jess's conversation!

I know it's wrong, but I had a pretty good feeling that my questions would be answered it I just quietly eavesdropped along with Megan. I'm such a bad friend, and I know it, but they should just tell us what's going on, right? I can just barely hear what they're saying anyway.

"I tried, Emma. I really did! I just don't think he thinks the way about me as I do of him. I'm so stupid." Jess's voice uttered. I'll guess she was talking about Darcy.

"What did you do? Did you ask him, did you flirt? You have to be more specific about this."

"I asked him what he liked in a girl. He said he liked it when they're adventurous, but have a sweet and girly side. He said he likes it when a girl wears fancy things, but doesn't try too hard. He wants a girl who looks absolutely perfect. You know, by his standards."

"And those standards are…?"

"Cute, silly, funny, talkative, sweet, caring, decisive, non judgmental, and most of all," Jess said. "…pretty eyes. He says that the second he sees a girl with pretty eyes, he falls for them. I don't have pretty eyes Emma." Jess said with her head hung low. Her voice was quivering, and I almost wanted to cry out "It'll be okay, Jess!" and hug her.

"Jess, whoever told you that you don't have pretty eyes is a jerk. And even if you didn't, you still have all of those other good qualities too." Emma said while patting Jess on the back. "Besides, I think Darcy kinda likes you too."

At this, Jess's head piped up, and I could tell that her eyes were wide open.

"Really? Are you sure Emma? Please don't be just saying this to make me feel better!" said Jess.

"I know this for a semi-fact. He definitely thinks you're cute." Emma said with a giggle.

"How do you know? Did he tell you? When?" Jess questioned wildly.

"Well, we were talking about the celebration after you and the other girls left a few days ago. He was really excited, and he said something about not being able to wait to see you there. I asked him why, and he blushed and said that you'd look really pretty. But, he sorta told me not to tell you I said that, so don't tell him I told you." Emma said. Megan and I heard Jess's extremely loud squeal, and we decided to go back into the living room.

"So, what's going on?" Megan said mischievous yet girly grin on her face.

"Uh, nothing. Except for the fact that I'm definitely going to ask Darcy Hawthorne to dance with me tonight, no matter what." Jess said with her arms on her hips like she was Superman or something. Wow.

Finally, Courtney came down the stairs with her car keys, and we all cheered. About time! "Come on girlies, it's time to get you to that party!" she said.

We all went outside and filed into Courtney's silver SUV. None of us could contain our excitement. Tonight is going to be AMAZING!


	8. Fab 3 Strike Again!

**A/N: Yeahh! Finally! I know, this isn't even the full party... I'M SORRY! So, next chapter will be in Ruby's POV, BUT the chapter after that will be in Jess's(maybe...) so yeah! Uh, I don't own The Mother Daughter Book Club OR Main Street! Enjoy!  
**

Emma

Oh boy. I never expected to be this nervous. I had spent almost all day trying to comfort Jess, but what about me? I was a nervous wreck the second I stepped into that room filled with pretty much anyone who was popular.

I didn't fit. None of us did really, except for Megan of course. She looked amazing, just like everyone else in the room. There was a DJ playing all of the newest hit songs and a giant disco ball in the center of the ceiling creating a luminous light show.

"Come on, let's dance!" Megan shouted and ran to the dance floor. She was dancing like a lunatic, but she looked like she was having tons of fun. I wanted to do that too, but who knows what people will say about me? They already think that I'm just some book loving nerd. I don't want them to add horrible dancer to the list.

I searched the room for two people. First: Stewart Chadwick. He just had to be in there somewhere, somehow. I had _begged _Cassidy to invite him, and she said she did. What if she was lying? She doesn't know how much I like Stewart. She probably thought I wanted him there because we were just coworkers on the school news paper. Even though he goes to the high school, he sometimes helps out.

I eventually spotted him with his light brown hair and cute little glasses. I frantically waved at him and he waved back, shyly. Oh, he was so adorable!

Then, there came person #2. The person who I was hoping _wouldn't _be there. The person who just had to be sitting next to Stewart along with two other girls.

Becca Chadwick.

Here she comes to ruin my life! She slaps Stewart's hand as soon as she sees him wave over to me, and gives me a smirk. I wither away to the dance floor along with my friends, so I can avoid her cold glare.

"Guys! Guess who's here." I whisper as they dance to a really loud dance song.

"Lemme guess…Becca?" Cassidy guesses as her eyes scan the room. I nod and almost let out a yelp when Cassidy points over to where she suddenly moved to: Only steps away with the rest of the Fab Three on her heels.

"Oh, look who's here! Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan! OMG! Nice dress, Megs!" says Becca while not even looking at Megan's dress. Instead, she's glaring at me.

"Oh, thanks Becca! It's one of my newest designs!" Megan says with a sigh of relief.

"OMG! Of course it is! Cute! You _have _to make me something, sometime! See you later!" She yells over the music, happily. For a second I almost think we're in the clear, when Becca walks past me only to whisper something in my ear.

"_Next time, wear something that doesn't make you look like a giant eggplant, Porky."_

And at that, I fled to the bathroom in the back of the building.

I didn't want to cry, but I had to. For once, I thought I had done something right: I had lost some weight, I had avoided Becca to my best extent, and I had even worn something that looked pretty nice! But no, Becca just had to ruin my fun.

I leaned my head against the bathroom wall as tears rolled down my cheeks. I cried like that for about 5 minutes until I heard someone approaching.

I ran into one of the stalls and stopped my sniffling as best as I could. I heard the door open and someone's footsteps. They sounded like…heels? I held in my breath only to hear the door opening again and more heeled footsteps. I peeked through the crack in the door and saw the Fab Three: Becca, Jen Webster, and Ashley Sanborn. WHY THEM?

"OMG! I think I got a pimple! This is not happening!" I heard Ashley say.

"Please! A pimple hasn't appeared on your face since…ever, really." Jen said. "Hey! It's actually just a dot of…pudding? Hmm, that's weird."

"Guys! Shhsh! I know that Porky the Poet is in here somewhere. That loser, she's probably bawling her eyes out as we speak!" Becca said. I saw her flip her hair and look confidently into the large bathroom mirror. She gave a wide smile, until she caught sight of her bright braces. She then rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Heeeeerrrreee, Porky, Porky, Porky! Come on, I know you're in here. We only want to talk to you." Said Becca in a high-pitched, mock innocent voice. I rolled my eyes and stepped up on the toilet as quietly as possible. I would not let those jerks find me. Not like this, at least.

I heard the bang of several doors being kicked open. I was so scared, why don't they just leave?

Suddenly, I saw the pink high heels step in front of my door. Oh, this is it. I'm going to die now, I'm—

"Oh, hey Megs! What are you doing here?" Becca asked. The door had opened, and through the crack, I could see Megan walking in. She had her hands on her hips with an indignant look on her face.

"Using the bathroom, Becca. What are _you_ doing?" Megan asked.

"Uh, nothing…now. Um, bye." Becca said and I heard the heeled footsteps walk themselves right out. Thank God!

"Emma…" Megan said. I didn't answer. No way was I gonna let anyone see me like this. "I know you're in here. Please some out."

Silence.

Soon, I heard her footsteps and the sound of the door. She had left.

At that, I stepped down from off of the toilet, unlocked the stall door and walked over to the sinks and mirror. I looked at myself.

_No wonder they make fun of me so much. _I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. Then, I dried it with a paper towel, and led myself out of the bathroom.


End file.
